I've been slowly coming to the conclusion that a good synthetic 5W-40 HDEO might be the universal OPE oil here in Pennsylvania. This is based upon a number of things, including the current B&S recommendations that include both synthetic 5W-30 and 15W-50; it seems to me that 5W-40 lands within that range. I have a number of Honda and Chonda powered machines calling for 5W-30 synthetic.
That being said, the extreme temperatures here range from -4 to + 102 F. Normal temperatures range from about +15 to +95 F. The only machine in my OPE fleet that would ever be called upon to run at or near either extreme is the portable generator. I want that machine to start easily and run at the extremes. None of my OPE would ever start with an oil temp below +25 F. The snow blower might run for an hour or more at +5 F, but it will start at or above +25 F. Somehow I doubt that a 5W-40 is going to do the snow blower any harm. None of the other OPE is likely to run above +90 F ambient.
So what are your thoughts? Is this reasonable? Could I run Rotella T6 or Chevron Delo 400 XSP 5W-40 in the entire OPE fleet and sleep easy?
That being said, the extreme temperatures here range from -4 to + 102 F. Normal temperatures range from about +15 to +95 F. The only machine in my OPE fleet that would ever be called upon to run at or near either extreme is the portable generator. I want that machine to start easily and run at the extremes. None of my OPE would ever start with an oil temp below +25 F. The snow blower might run for an hour or more at +5 F, but it will start at or above +25 F. Somehow I doubt that a 5W-40 is going to do the snow blower any harm. None of the other OPE is likely to run above +90 F ambient.
So what are your thoughts? Is this reasonable? Could I run Rotella T6 or Chevron Delo 400 XSP 5W-40 in the entire OPE fleet and sleep easy?